Museo Sugbo & Its Unassuming Charm

MUSEUMS FASCINATE ME, and some day, I hope to pass on the fascination to my children – Paul & Phoebe. So whether it’s a museum set in a foreign land or the ones we have here in the Philippines – big, small, famous, or relatively unknown – I’d love to visit it when I have the time.

Late October, my family and I visited one such museum – Cebu City’s Museo Sugbo. I was hoping to bring the husband and the two kids to Gorordo Museum because the place left quite an impression on me when I had the chance to tour it back in high school. But when I begun doing my research, if we could visit on a Saturday morning, I serendipitously clicked on Museo Sugbo’s website, and to my delight, it was open on a Saturday!

Museo Sugbo is located along M. J. Cuenco Avenue, in one of the oldest parts of Cebu we call today as Tejero. It is a corner away from other famous Cebu landmarks, Fort San Pedro and Plaza Independencia.

It is a breath of fresh air, once you enter it, anyway. Well, “antiques” – old things – fascinate me, too, and upon entrance, I was transported to another time, another place.

The reverie was short-lived, though, as the museum’s “snappy” guard immediately made us sign their visitor’s logbook, after he warmly greeted us a “maayong buntag”.

We went there on a Saturday morning and, at the time, the museum was having an “open house” so we didn’t get to pay the usual entrance fee of P30 for adults and P10 for children and senior citizens.

The museum does not have an in-house tour guide. The foreigners we saw touring with us brought their own tour guides. The guard simply directed us to the first door to his right and that was how we toured the place – on our own, slowly taking our time.

Museo Sugbo houses artifacts from the pre-Christian era to the Spanish time to when we were colonized by both the Japanese and Americans; but what caught my fancy were the numerous “olden” newspapers they had on display.

Wow! Journalism was already alive in this part of the country during the Spanish, Japanese and American times. There were so many! There was the – Philippine Press, The Cebu Times, The Manila Chronicle Noon Edition, Ang Suga, Union, Visayan Shinbun, Nueva Fuerza, and Ang Freeman – could this be today’s The Freeman, I wonder.

These were all housed towards the front portions of the museum. As you go deeper, the displays become more “new” and modern. There were rooms dedicated to famous families in Cebu – popular then and popular today – because they are said to be the “pioneering families” that brought Cebu to where it is now – The Queen City of the South. These were the Ramas, the Osmenas, the Garcias, and so many more.

Each family had a specific contribution to Cebu’s history in different aspects – culture, economics, politics, etc. It was super interesting.

I would have wanted to stay longer in these rooms but the kids were already dragging me to another room draped in dark curtains. When we were inside, I realized why the room was “weirdly” cold and dark (because of the dark curtains, again) and it was because this room with a high ceiling and poor lighting housed “architectural designs” – the paper versions – of Cebu’s old churches, old bridges, old structures, and just about any building that needed to be drawn before it was built in the last century!

Our architects today use computers, 3D models, but what they had then was just their knowledge in math, their hands and fingers, their crude rulers, yet they drew and built some of the most beautiful and longer-lasting structures we now call today as “historical” places.

Yes, it was a sight to behold and it got me thinking. How I wish I were an architect! This would have been more relatable. I do hope though that Cebu’s architect students would come and see for themselves these “olden” architectural designs. Maybe they’ll be able to pick up a few “drawing” techniques here and there. Who knows?!

That was the final room we visited. It was time to go out and survey the surroundings. It was then that we found a “wishing well” called “The Well of Wisdom, Love and Good Fortune”. In Cebuano, “Ang Atabay sa Kinaadman, Gugma ug Maayong Kapalaran”.

My kids enjoyed the wishing well and they actually threw coins and wished twice. Per the guide we bumped into, who was touring some Japanese tourists at the time, the well used to be quite functional. It was where the prisoners of the once “Karsel sa Sugbo” and eventually, the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), got their water for drinking, washing clothes and dishes, and bathing.

Yes, Museo Sugbo was once a “prison”. It was designed by Domingo De Escondrillas to serve as Cebu’s prison house sometime in the 1870s. It became the Cebu Provincial Jail during the American colonization, which was also when the second floor was constructed; Cebu City Jail from 1946-1976; and CPDRC from 1976 up to 2004.

In 2004, CPDRC was transferred to a bigger facility in Brgy. Kalunasan, Cebu City; and it was in 2008 that Museo Sugbo came to be. What a wonderful history!

So, when in Cebu, make it a point to not only eat and shop, and in our case, religiously complete our annual check-ups, but to also visit a museum or two.

My children had a blast, even if at the start of our trip, they were saying that “museums were boring”. Your kids will have fun, too, and so will you. 

No blues @ Aqua Azul Resort

Yes, summer is over. The rainy season has come. Schools have started school year 2017-2018.

But if you feel a little blue or need a time out, go for a dip in one of the swimming pools of Aqua Azul Resort in Brgy. Bunga, Baybay City.

You’ll never feel blue at Aqua Azul Resort. The resort boasts of a ‘provincial’ feel, a respite from the hustle-and-bustle of daily life. It has one big swimming pool for teenagers and adults with two water slides and a smaller, shallower one for toddlers with a play area in the middle and a water slide located near the resort’s entrance.

Wooden cottages line up one side of the pool with the Bunga pebbled beach on the other side. The pool water is as fresh as it is cool, a dip or two should be enough to take all your blues away, the muscle pains or a headache.

If a swimming pool is not your thing, enjoy the Baybay beach, then. It’s just a few meters away from the pool.

We also found out in a company outing my family and I attended sometime in May that they cater food for their guests. The resort catered to a hundred people, all employees and their families of the private company my husband works for.

One may also bring in their own food to the resort or cook at the resort. You won’t need to pay a corkage fee. Aqua Azul has a barbecue station (sugbahan) as well where one can grill fresh fish or marinated pork and chicken for free.

Clean and spacious comfort and shower rooms are also available for use by resort guests.

One may contact Aqua Azul for reservations, including catering, through 0905-562-1756.

Adult entrance fee for a day’s use is at P40 only while children, ages 3-11 years old, are charged P30.

Meanwhile, the rental for a cottage costs P500 while a tent, which is said to be semi-exclusive, costs the same at two tables per cottage. An additional table will cost you P200 each.

For those who want to go on a night swim, Aqua Azul is open from 7pm-11pm every night, except Thursday and Sunday nights, but entrance fees for adults is now at P60 per head while children pay the same at P30.

Entrance fee for an overnight stay at the resort is at P100 for all ages. Overnight stay means using resort facilities on a day use basis up to 8am of the following day.

Don’t let the rainy days stop you from discovering and experiencing a new pool and beach resort, which is just a 30- to 40-minute ride from Ormoc City.

No blues @ Aqua Azul Resort.

The kiddie pool & play area

The cottages

The swimming pool for adults & teenagers

Thank you God for the gift of friendship

Baltasar Gracian says it so well: “True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evil. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island… to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.”

My first friends were my sisters then came my cousins. We would play it out under the sun until our Lola would make us take our afternoon naps. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful childhood!

Then, I started school and this opened a door for me to have even more friends among my classmates, whom I am still friends with up to this day. Thank you Facebook for reconnecting me with my childhood friends!

I chose to go to high school in the far, far away land of Baybay, now a city, and there, I met some of the best people who shared with me a most memorable teenage life – filled with hopes and dreams and well-wishes and heartaches and even early afternoon Physics. Me, who could never get Physics right passed with flying colors because of the brilliant Mathematicians in my circle of friends who tutored me and poked me when I was about to fall asleep while a pendulum was going to and fro on the teacher’s table. Only fun memories!

Then I set off sail to big and complicated Cebu. There, in eclectic UP Cebu I met my college buddies, who introduced me to LIFE, as I know now and, together, we hurdled departmental exams, internships and thesis. It was also in this wonderful academic institution that I got to know God more personally.

From then on, I have unceasingly thanked God for the gift of friendship because the friendships He prepared for me in this lifetime shaped the person I am today.

My sisters and cousins gave me a wonderful childhood – filled with sun-kissed looks, river-bathing, hill-climbing, “buwan-buwan”, “tago-tago”, “langit-lupa”, “Chinese garter”, “flying saucer”, and all those games we used to play when we all had an unlimited amount of energy.

My elementary classmates taught me to excel – to be excellent – and to value education.

My high school friendship, meanwhile, provided a platform for the young lady in me to bloom, not as awkwardly as in the movies. Just enough bad and good memories to make me smile every time I reminisce my teenage years.

Finally, my college buddies, through our experiences together, helped me to become braver in LIFE. I learned from my UP friends how to choose your battles, to be calm amidst adversity, to be generous of knowledge, and humility when serving others. UPians rule!

So, how many friends do I have? I have lost count but my heart is and will forever be grateful.

Currently, I am once again leaving behind some friendships that are 12 years in the making, as I resign from the manufacturing firm that I serve as “comms gal”, now officially as HR Business Partner.

These are the friendships that I was able to forge in the workplace. I didn’t know then, so naïve of me back in 2004, that I would make LIFE-LONG / LIFETIME FRIENDS in P. Some have gone before me, actually, to pursue more interesting careers in other companies or to go off on an adventure in foreign lands with their families.

Some have remained though because they choose to and because their perfectly happy at P. I would understand. P is a lovely place. It’s only that, at this point in my life, I NEED to be where my heart is – home.

@home, I’ll be bringing with me all the life-changing lessons I learned from my P friends. I cannot thank you enough for making my stay at P as wonderful and as fun. I always look forward going to work because I know you would all be there, working and serving our fellow Ps.

I learned hard work, patience, integrity, attention to details, efficiency, diplomacy, and servant leadership from my colleagues and friendships at P.

Last night, my closest P friends (and hopefully, future business partners, fingers crossed!) gave me a most touching gift – a box of office goodies. They want me to take a piece of them to my new office so I don’t get lonely and so that I don’t forget them. That could never happen!

This Wonderful Box was intricately decorated, my Reyna Elena picture carefully cut and I knew, with all my heart, that precious time was poure into making and filling This Wonderful Box to the brim.

I love it! And no, last night’s escapade was not a despedida party. I don’t believe in one. Since March 15, I’ve been telling you my dearest P friends, No Goodbyes.

Thank you again, though, for making time to go out with me and the husband last night. It was fun, as it should be.

Again, thank you God for the gift of friendship. I look forward to forging more friendships in the years to come – blessed by Thee, prepared by Thee.

Thank You My Dearest P Friends! Truly, chance made us colleagues... hearts made us friends. :)

The tale of 10,000 roses and a happiness museum

Thinking of going to Cebu? Perhaps for a check-up? A shopping spree? Or a night out?

But did you know that Cebu has more activities and interesting sites to offer other than the big malls in Cebu City and the white-sanded beach resorts of Mactan?

When in Cebu, drop by Cordova town’s tourism hub to include a visit to the now famous 10,000 Roses Cafe, lunch or dinner at the Lantaw Floating Native Restaurant, or play and pretend at the Cebu Happyworld Museum.

Cordova is a third-class municipality, one of two local government units in Mactan Island. The other one is the city of Lapu-Lapu. It is an hour’s ride from Cebu City, minus heavy traffic, of course.

It is a coastal town and boasts of a magnificent view of Cebu at nighttime. Today, its local government officials have positioned Cordova to be Cebu province’s next tourist destination. Recently, from the big “tourism poster” I saw, it established the Cordova Tourism Center, showcasing the many plans the town has of developing Cordova’s charm and tourism potential.

I suggest a half-day visit to Cordova, after lunch, to experience the town to its fullest. That’s what we did. We left Cebu around 1:30 in the afternoon and arrived an hour later at our first destination, a happiness overload building aptly called the Cebu Happyworld Museum.

Believe me, it’s truly a “happy place”. It brought out the child in me. Together with my 11-year old Paul and 7-year old Phoebe, we unleashed our creativity, imagination and “artistahin” potential while posing here and there, over and under the 50 or so 3D art paintings of Happyworld Museum.

Entrance fee for adults is at P350 and P250 for children. The museum opens at 10:00 A.M. and closes at 9:00 P.M. Outside the air-conditioned museum building is an open-spaced airy canteen that serve a good-enough hotdog bun, a big pool with “bumper boats” and a small 4D theater. Inside, however, aside from the paintings, is Happyworld’s souvenir shop.

There is no time limit at one’s stay inside the museum. One can stay for as long as one likes. We were inside for a good two hours and we weren’t even aware of the time. That is how much fun Cebu Happyworld Museum is!

The museum is divided into sections corresponding to a specific theme. There’s the famous paintings section, Jurassic Park, Jesus and Bible stories and many more. At Cebu Happyworld Museum, you “make unforgettable memories with loved ones”.

Emar fooling around a famous painting

Father and son on top of a scary cliff

Our Phoebe Dawn trying to catch a fly-fish

The author and husband, Emar, saving a TV set

The author as a ballerina

The author, Jima, and her little me

The family pretending to be a part of this biblical scene

The family under water

The facade of Cebu Happyworld Museum

We left the museum at 5:00 P.M., after snacking on hotdog buns. Per my sister-in-law, it was the perfect time to watch the sunset from the 10,000 Roses Café, a surprisingly affordable coffee shop surrounded by 10,000 artificial, LED-lighted white roses with a beautiful view of the sea and the magnificent Cordova twilight. 

Entrance-cum-environment fee is at P20 and is a stone’s throw away from the Lantaw Floating Native Restaurant.

Chill and relax at the café. Order a hot Americano or a strawberry frappe. At 6:15 P.M., it’s going to be lights on for the 10,000 or so white roses surrounding the coffee shop.

Don’t forget to bring your selfie sticks. You’re going to need it if you want to have your pictures taken with the roses.

During our visit, there were more than a hundred people and they filled all four corners of the field of lighted roses. So, good luck having your photos taken!

10,000 or so roses surrounding a quaint coffee shop

Entrance to the 10,000 Roses Cafe

Our Phoebe Dawn posing with the field of white roses

Afterwards, drop by Lantaw and feast on a wide variety of sumptuous Filipino dishes. There's sinugba, tinola and pakbet.

Never leave Cordova on an empty stomach. Traffic can be quite heavy at the new Mactan Bridge on the way back to Cebu City.

Enjoy Cordova! Enjoy the other side of Cebu!

Letting Go

After several sleepless nights, a palpitating heart upon suddenly waking up in the ungodly hours of the night and a cupful of tears while drafting The R Letter, it’s finally over. My P journey has ended after 12 years and 6 months. It would have ended two years ago if only I had the courage then.

However, I also believed that “two years ago” wasn’t the right time yet. No, not yet. Now is the perfect time; and no, I did not wake up one day, wanting an end to it all. It took some time, two years at most, and the appearance of several “signs” that only I and my heart know about.

The night I decided to just do it, my husband and I had a long talk. The following day, I sought advice from my parents. All three support my decision to sever ties with P.

I wanted to wait for a few more days, thinking the “feeling” would go away and dissolve to thin air by simply ignoring it. But lo and behold, it wouldn’t disappear, because, you see, after two years of keeping it in, setting it aside for further analysis, unconsciously looking for “signs” and always having this feeling of a cloud hovering above me, this burden upon my shoulder that only gets heavier as time passes by, that “feeling” has taken its toll and one night it consumed me. I knew the time has come for letting go.

The “feeling” brought with it courage and humility – a kind of submission to fate. There was no turning back. Determined and resolute, I marched forward.

The morning I turned in The R Letter and spoke aloud my plans, answered the why’s and, I guess, literally gave my friends a shock, the “feeling” went away. It was replaced with jubilation. The hovering cloud, the burden and the need for further analysis all went out of the window.

I no longer cared. I was in front of a freshly painted door of opportunities and I couldn’t wait to open it – to embrace whatever awaits me on this side of the hall.

Today, what fills my days are thoughts of this and that. Nothing can stop me now. I’m going to chase my dreams. I’m going to build, produce, manufacture and touch the lives of more people.

These, however, are never without a tint of sadness of what I will be leaving all behind – my comfort zone, my lifetime friends,… my work. For a brief moment in time, I am suspended, up in a balloon, going down memory lane. Then, I smile, grateful for the 12 years I’ve spent with P, for I knew that my work for P meant something. It was valuable to me, even if, maybe, for some co-workers, it was just another job or position title in a 201 file.

This I know because while working for P, I gave my best and that is all that matters, really. Because to me, wherever you are and whoever you are, as long as you do not waste the opportunities given to you to put your best foot forward, to improve people’s lives, or to be of service to your fellow men, rejoice! You’ve made it. You’ve done it. You’ve contributed.

It is just time for me to contribute somewhere else, to get out of my “box” and to explore new possibilities. It wasn’t the most beautiful and most enjoyable journey but, believe me, finally letting go brought me a lot of peace… and joy.

No, fear is still very much present. Worries, too. I guess we need both in our daily lives and in the big decisions we have to make in life because conquering both makes whatever it is that we are about to do even more valuable and worth the wait, including the sleepless night and the palpitations. It was to me.

I learned that I am strong when I was at the lowest point in my life. I was so weak, I simply surrendered. Sometimes, some battles are no longer worth fighting it out, not worth the effort and the time of overanalyzing the situation. I believe I was at my bravest when I gave in. It freed me. I won the battle, too.

I learned that fear of the consequences of my decision and fear of what my future might hold with the change I was about to embark were little compared to my fear of what-ifs. In life, sometimes, to be able to conquer fear, you have to summon a “higher” kind of fear – the kind of fear that truly paralyzes you, the kind that makes you fearless. What is scarier than regrets and what-ifs?

I re-learned that I got to where I am right now because of so much love and support from family, friends and even strangers I met along the way. I am forever grateful for the wonderful life lessons I picked from the people surrounding me – special mention to my husband, Emar, who can never really get me, even after 11 years of marriage (haha), to my son, Paul Daniel, who taught me how it is to be humble and kind, and to my daughter, Phoebe Dawn, who taught me to embrace life, to be artsy and colorful, all over again.

I am who I am because of the love, care and patience that everyone, who touched and whom I got to touch in this life, has extended to me.

I am who I am, professionally anyway, because of the motivation, encouragement, loads of mentoring, personalized coaching and the developmental assignments given my way during my journey in P.

Yes, I am letting go of P, but, definitely, not turning my back on P. Who knows de aparador?! Haha… I actually believe that I could be P’s “Best Ambassadress” yet.

Cheers!

The Crossroad

“Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you love.” 

                                                                                  – Buster Moon (Sing)

It seems that “fear” is the common theme in the movie I watched last night with the husband and the kids and in the teenage “Divergent” book I’m reading currently.

Last night, a perfectly beautiful Saturday evening, we watched “Sing”, an animation brought to us by the makers of “The Minions” and the “Despicable Me” series. Saturday nights have become “movie-bonding” moments with my little family – a tradition that was passed on to me by my own family.

Sing is a movie about a bunch of talented animals who became “family” when they were chosen for a singing competition by Buster Moon, the wonderful, most optimistic Mr. Koala Bear. It is a movie about the journey they took together to fulfill their dreams of singing in front of millions and finding their “true selves” in the process.  

My husband and I would make sure that we watch a child-friendly movie on this specific evening because Paul and Phoebe are growing up too fast; too soon in my opinion. A few years from now, they’d want claim over their Saturday nights. It could be with us, Emar and I, but it could be with their own set of friends as well, and I don’t want to get in the way of that. I still want claim over the “cool mom” label.

So while Emar and I can and are still allowed by Paul and Phoebe to spend Saturday nights with them, I’m taking advantage of the “this and now”, if only to stop the fear brewing inside of us, knowing that in time, our children are going to leave us to pursue a life of their own making.

Oh Time, … “you’re dead tissue; you’re petrified; you kill beauty; you ruin things”. This, according to Will Smith’s “Collateral Beauty” character’s letter to Time, which was the movie Emar and I watched Friday night. Yes, we’re old. We spend Friday nights at home, watching sappy, thought-provoking movies instead of out and about in bars and clubs.

Time, truly, is humanity’s most precious resource. You cannot buy more time. You cannot trade time. You can, however, give time – TIME for the things you truly love to do; and fear has got no room here.

Because Fear will only paralyze you; and while Time ticks away the minutes and the seconds, you stay still, immovable, not able to move forward and pursue “what is that you love to do” – that which you believe in and makes you want to be better, that which you believe contributes to the greater good, that which makes you happy and grateful.

Two months have passed already in 2017. Oh Time, … we were just celebrating New Year, Valentine’s Day and my daughter’s 7^th birthday. Now, it’s March. Soon it’ll be April and my birthday once again.

Don’t let Time get to you. Time is not the enemy, fear is. Hours, days and months are but an illusion, something man-made to guide the ignorant.

I feel that I am at a crossroads and that enough time has been given to me to decide which road to take. It’s just that fear of change has paralyzed me and has made me quite the procrastinator. It’s funny because I’ve been dreaming of this for years and now that it’s almost here, I can’t seem to decide anymore.

I do believe, however, that everything happens for a reason even the things that happen at the edge of a crossroad. So, if you feel that you need to stop and look back, do so. If by chance you feel like meditating, do it.

Take your time. Be patient. Enjoy the journey and the stopovers.

I’m doing it now for I believe that the most beautiful changes in life are worth waiting for, worth meditating over, worth all the fear and excitement, worth every fork in the road that I took to get to THE CROSSROAD.

Ending this post is a quote from Henry Van Dyke about our friend, Time:

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

P.S. – I’ll let you know once I’ve crossed the crossroad. For now, let’s Live, Love and Laugh. 

My parents gave me this following a Europe trip late last year. If I remember correctly, this is made of special glass or something. It seems that my parents' favorite gift to yours truly is a timepiece. What does that make of me? Hi hi. Ma and Pa, you might not have noticed but I believe this is your third timepiece gift to me, the other two were well-loved, well-received wristwatches.

Of Flowers, Books and Dreams

At 10, I dreamt of becoming a medicine man,

            A doctor, who heals the sick and extend a lifespan.

At 16, I dreamt of getting away

            To a far-off land so I can sway and play.

At 20, I wanted to grow up

            So I can finally chase my dreams and setup.

At 30, I know I’ve grown up somehow.

I have my Paul, my Phoebe and my Emar, too.

They are the dreams I’ve chased in my here and now;

The ones I’ve swayed and played with, my little crew.

I may not be able to extend a life or heal the sick.

I can, however, soothe their hurts with my “magic” stick.

Last night, I dreamt of flowers and books.

            One a creation of Him, the other a product of man’s outlooks.

At 40, I’d want to switch careers and be a florist,

            Or the keeper of good books set-up in a forest.

I’ve come to adore flowers, arranging them in a so-so manner.

I’ve always loved books, passing this passion on to my Paul, my Phoebe.

They are new dreams I want to chase, as the family’s chronic planner;

And as I travel to far-off places with my Paul, my Phoebe, my Emar in a jiffy.

Here are the flowers I arranged last night when we got home after a long day in Ormoc. Aren't they beautiful? Flowers remind me that there is beauty in colors, in a life wildly lived  - not well-arranged, not structured. Just is.

To our 7-year old Phoebe

Dear Gwapa / Little Girl / Phoebe Dawn…

Depending on both our moods, I would call you in any one of these terms of endearment that I have for you little girl. You make me so happy and so worried all at the same time.

Happy, because I see so much of me and of Papa Emar in you. You are feisty, head-strong, independent, intelligent, funny, organized, artsy, protective of your Kuya Paul, impatient, “sungugan” and tall like Papa, pretty, “maarte” all rolled into one bundle of energy trapped in that supermodel-built body that you possess Phoebe Dawn.

This worries me because I don’t think you’ll ever be fat again with “lugaw” as your favorite meal. You were once a “chubby” baby. When will you eat rice and “sud-an” gwapa? You eat almost everything except at meal times, you would only eat “lugaw”.

Never mind. We can’t force you. You’ll get there in due time; and we hope quite soon. This brings me to my first LIFE lesson for you, that is, to be mindful that you cannot change the people surrounding you – even loved ones dear to you. You can only change yourself and at your own pace, too. Accept this reality and you’ll be at peace.

At six-turning-seven years old, you love expressing your “true” self and I love that about you. You draw, sing, dance and play like you just don’t care. Don’t ever lose this part of you, Phoebe Dawn. This is your second LIFE lesson. Be true to yourself, to your principles, to what you believe is just and right and live a guilt-free, much happier life. No regrets!

You want to be a nurse because you think your Kuya Paul is going to be a doctor (which I’m not sure is happening anymore, as he wants to be an “author based in Canada”) and you’ll like him to get you as his nurse. When I first heard this from you, it made my heart swell a thousand times over. Please remember this third LIFE lesson, that is, to love and cherish your family. Because when Mama and Papa are gone, you’ll only have your Kuya Paul. Respect and care for each other, no matter the circumstance.

As I write this blog (and love letter for you little girl), you are four days’ shy from celebrating your seventh birthday. I still cannot believe I was able to raise you and raise you well in the past seven years. I did not plan my life, as should be. I ran wherever the wind took me. The wind, fickle as women, took me to your Papa Emar and that’s when I truly started planning. This is the fourth LIFE lesson gwapa. Plan ahead BUT dream big and be flexible. Don’t let the critics get to you. Move forward, follow your plan or take a detour. Whatever it is that will give your life meaning, value and purpose, go ahead! Just do it.

You might think I’m writing this too early in time. You’re only seven. You wouldn’t understand what I’m blabbing about here. Guess, I’m hoping that someday you will. You see, I learned these LIFE lessons while living, experiencing life and I don’t want you to commit the same mistakes I did. But as I write this, I realized that I cannot prevent that from happening really. We’ve all got free will. This is the fifth LIFE lesson little girl. To know that you always have a choice. You can even choose to ignore the lessons I’ve written here and come up with your own as you go through living, experiencing YOUR life (still hoping you’d find this valuable though). Choose what’s best for you. Choose good. Choose kindness.

Kindness… This brings me to my sixth LIFE lesson for you, Phoebe Dawn. Always be kind. You can never go wrong with kindness. Be kind to your brother, to your neighbors, to your friends, teachers and classmates, to community workers, to strangers.

When I got pregnant with you, Papa and I chose carefully the names we were about to give you. We wanted you to have a beautiful name, one that you can be proud of, one that you can use to change the world – or at least make it a better place to live in.

Phoebe is a name found in the Bible, a woman who fervently served God through Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, verses 16:1-2. It means, “bright and shining”. Of course, we paired it with Dawn, which means “Aurora, the first appearance of daylight or daybreak”.

You are our “bright and shining Aurora”, Phoebe Dawn, and may you bring that sunshine to others as well. Serve others. Pray “that God may plant in your heart His purpose for you”. Find your purpose little girl and spread that sunshine.

This should serve as your seventh lesson, befitting of your upcoming seventh birthday on February 16, 2017.

Happiest birthday Gwapa / Little Girl / Phoebe Dawn!

Love lots,

Mama Jima